Transdisciplinary Competences | University of Tübingen

Transdisciplinary Competencies

In the framework of their studies, students acquire both subject knowledge and transdisciplinary competencies. These transdisciplinary competencies can be very supportive for one's academic studies and also enable students to prepare themselves optimally for the requirements of the job market.

We provide our students with a wide range of opportunities to acquire transdisciplinary competencies.

In the Bachelor's degree programs at the University of Tübingen, the acquisition of generic competencies (or key qualifications) is curricularly anchored, i.e. it is stipulated by the examination regulations and thus compulsory to a certain extent:

What are Transdisciplinary Competencies?

What are transdisciplinary competencies?

Transdisciplinary competencies are knowledge, skills and abilities that cannot be assigned to individual disciplines. However, they make it possible to successfully master a wide range of requirements that arise in various roles and complex life situations across all areas of life.
The promotion of transdisciplinary competencies is based on a comprehensive concept of education that aims to meet situational qualification requirements as well as to support personal development and career orientation.

Transdisciplinary skills can be acquired at the University of Tübingen:

Kurses of Transdisciplinary Course Program,
Certificates, which at the same time serve to sharpen the study profile,
Global Awareness Education offerings,
Social engagement that can be integrated into studies,
voluntary internships that can be credited and
other offers from other university institutions.

You can find more details about these offerings on our study programs pages.

In addition, our Career Service supports students in successfully organizing the transition from study to work and in acquiring the necessary interdisciplinary skills. The focus is on career orientation, networking and application procedures as well as job research.

Transdisciplinary skill areas include:

1. Orientation knowledge and transfer competence

General education that enables transdisciplinary thinking in (global) contexts and reflection on acquired knowledge, as well as dealing with complex cultural, technical and social changes, developments and new problems. Orientation knowledge and the ability to transfer are, in addition to specialized knowledge, the requirement for successful inter- and transdisciplinary cooperation both in studies and in professional practice.

2. Cognitive, communicative and social competencies

In addition to thinking in contexts as well as logical, abstract and strategic thinking, competencies in obtaining and evaluating well-founded information as well as (creative) problem-solving skills are of central importance for an awareness and ability for lifelong learning to be developed. Written and oral communication skills, presentation techniques, the ability to deal with conflict and work in a team, the willingness to innovate, and competencies in planning and project management are, in addition to (self-)leadership skills, important soft skills that are aimed at employability - in the sense of the ability to act flexibly and appropriately in dynamically changing situations.

3. Personality development and self-competence

In the sense of a comprehensive educational claim, central interdisciplinary competencies are the ability to self-determination, self-reflection and self-assessment, critical thinking, aesthetic experience and precise perception, flexibility and adaptability, creativity, social and empathic behavior as well as its critical reflection, respect for those who think differently and tolerance of ambiguity, a sense of responsibility and moral, professional and scientific ethical judgment.